Does Chris Matthews like being on MSNBC?

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Watched him last night...Even when I disagreed with him, I used to take this guy as a serious journalist who prided himself on making an effort to be serious.  But since MSNBC decided (around 2006 timeframe) to be the flipside of FOXNews, Matthews doesn't appear to be as excited in his job as he used to be.  He's basically just reading off a bunch of talking points.

I feel sorry for him and for the state of our media in general.

 

[Keystone Phil]

He's a complete clown now. I don't feel sorry for him at all because he is excessively ridiculous in his rhetoric. He might not be happy and might "have" to act this way but he's just so bad.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I used to like him..........but he's unwatchable because he talks over everyone, berates those he disagrees with, etc.......

He needs to take a valium and get laid.

[angus]

Watched him last night...Even when I disagreed with him, I used to take this guy as a serious journalist who prided himself on making an effort to be serious.  But since MSNBC decided (around 2006 timeframe) to be the flipside of FOXNews, Matthews doesn't appear to be as excited in his job as he used to be.  He's basically just reading off a bunch of talking points.

I feel sorry for him and for the state of our media in general.

 

Prescient post.  I used to watch hardball regularly about a decade ago.  I observed the same thing, although I started noticing inaccuracies in his commentary much earlier than 2006. 

It has been a couple of years since I have watched his show, or anything on that channel, so I'm not sure how he comes across lately.

Both Fox and MSNBC are really hard to stomach now, and Headline News is even worse.  And on BBC World News they talk with those irritating English accents.  So the only news I watch regularly is the PBS Newshour.  That one I watch nearly every night.  If there's a big breaking story I might tune to CNN.  Especially for their debate analysis I watch CNN, so that I can make a game of it.  I take a drink every time David Gergen's come-over hair flips up. 

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

it is my opinion that FoxNews has made the rest of the media 10 times more hackish.  maybe it would have occurred anyway even if FoxNews never appeared.  But, holy crap, our media sucks even in comparisons to half a decade ago, much less 10,20,30,or 40 years ago.

Was Brian Williams forced to become a hack also, or is he still semi-objective?

I remember during the late 70's and early 80's Sam Donaldson was the only one acting like an ass (though even Sam wasn't anywhere close to being as hackish as most are now)...now, everyone rather be a hackish-AM-talkshow type than a true anchorman who just reports the news.

Are there any alternatives to CNN/MSNBC/FoxNews?  Who is our Walter Cronkite (most trusted man in America) for today? Shame cause MSNBC was really balanced back in the late 90's and even during the 2000 election.  

CNN used to really good also.   Remember how they kicked ass in the 80's and early 90's and how they owned the rest of the media during the first Gulf War?

I'm a news junky without a news media to watch!

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I used to like the old Headline News 30-minute format...you could tune in anytime of day and be caught up on the Headlines...guess that is what the internet is for nowadays, so no real loss there.

[opebo]

Come on, guys, it is american news.  It is going to by definition be dumb and irritating, and of course completely right-wing, even if it is ostensibly 'liberal'.   Food for pigs will tend to be pig-food, so it doesn't make sense to critique it for not being caviar.

Watch Al Jazeera, or French or German news if you want something not entirely idiotic.  (you can watch the BBC - it is less stupid - as long as you remember it is essentially just as biased).

[angus]

Are there any alternatives to CNN/MSNBC/FoxNews?

PBS Newshour I can recommend.  I plays here at 5:30 and is replayed at 9PM.  It's less sensationalistic than Fox or MSNBC, and much less so than Headline News.  And it's less boring than CNN.  Fairly comprehensive.  While Fox is spending 45 minutes having three talking heads debate the probable whereabouts of Chandra Levy, Newshour would have given you 3 or 4 brief but relevant segments from Pakistan, Latin America, London, or Wall street.  Things that might actually affect your investment portfolio.  And every Friday night is junkie night.  They have Mark Shields and David Brooks in for fifteen minutes to discuss, somewhat subjectively, politics and current events. 

But it's only an hour a day.  For the other 23 hours I guess you can just post here. 

[opebo]

Oh yeah, I clean fergot about Public TV, angus.  They still have that?  I thought that all got shut down during the Bush administration.  Well, won't be long now.

[The Mikado]

Al Jazeera English and BBC America come to mind.

[Paul Kemp]

jmfcst watching Al Jazeera lol.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

jmfcst watching Al Jazeera lol.

His wife is a brown, you see.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Matthews is an ass. Maddow I watch, and sometimes Schultz if I'm particularly pissed off at the GOP (red meat Democrat)

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

jmfcst watching Al Jazeera lol.

no, I actually totally agree with opebo on this - you can get a MUCH better view of the world by watching Al Jazeera than you can watching MSNBC or FOXNews.

Al Jazeera actually reports the views of the Muslim street instead of all the BS sugar coated PC portrayal of the middle east in the Amercian news media.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

jmfcst watching Al Jazeera lol.

His wife is a golden desert-brown, you see.

correction - big difference

[angus]

I watch, and sometimes Schultz if I'm particularly pissed off at the GOP

If it's happening several times per day maybe you should take something for that.

[Marston]

I don't think Chris Matthews has changed much. I've been watching him since 2003 and he's always talked over his guests, been relatively rude, but pretty intellectually in some of his observations..

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Chris Matthews is a hilariously awful TV host. Here's the breakdown of an average Hardball segment:

0:00 - 1:00 - Chris yells at the TV camera to introduce the segment and guests.
1:00 - 2:30 - Chris continues to ramble on, then finally asks a random question at one of the guests.
2:30 - 2:45 - Guest #1 starts to respond, then Chris interrupts him.
2:45 - 4:00 - Chris continues to yell at the TV camera, because I guess he figures the people at home can't hear him if he's not talking loudly.
4:00 - 4:05 - Snide reference to Michele Bachmann.
4:05 - 4:30 - Guest #2 attempts to get a word in while Chris continues to talk.
4:30 - 5:00 - Chris wraps things up, thanks his guests for being there.

[Keystone Phil]

One of the best Matthews' interviews was with Congressman Joe Walsh. Matthews received a healthy dose of his own medicine from Walsh. It was hilarious. Naturally, Matthews backed down once someone barked louder than he did.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

I kinda like Morning Joe - it's relatively smart, with discussions of both horse race stuff and the wonkish.  Sometimes Scarborough can't stop repeating his point and that gets a bit irritating, but other than than it's entertaining and I can usually learn something. Then there's PBS Newshour, where I agree with angus' description. Once in a while Charlie Rose has an excellent current events interview too. 

[Marston]

I kinda like Morning Joe - it's relatively smart, with discussions of both horse race stuff and the wonkish.  Sometimes Scarborough can't stop repeating his point and that gets a bit irritating, but other than than it's entertaining and I can usually learn something. Then there's PBS Newshour, where I agree with angus' description. Once in a while Charlie Rose has an excellent current events interview too. 

I hate the way he always talks over his co-host Mika (sp?). Okay, she isn't smart and is just another run-of-the-mill teleprompter-reading news anchor but that still doesn't give Scarborough the right to act like a total jackass to her.

[angus]

co-host Mika

Mika Brzezinski.  There's actually a webpage dedicated to her feet. 

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

co-host Mika

Mika Brzezinski.  There's actually a webpage dedicated to her feet. 

Does Rex  Ryan know this?

[angus]

No doubt about that.


"ma'am, you you mind if I smelled them?"  

[Napoleon]

co-host Mika

Mika Brzezinski.  There's actually a webpage dedicated to her feet. 

Does Rex  Ryan know this?

Watch it there bud.